Graham E. Hancock and Daniel Konstanski discuss whether LEGO SMART Play is really as ambitious and innovative as the LEGO Group’s initial splash suggests.
The LEGO Group has revealed one of its most ambitious innovations in years – LEGO SMART Play, a new screen-free system built around a technology-infused element called the SMART Brick. Designed to blend physical LEGO building with real-time digital-style interaction — without apps, phones or tablets — SMART Play represents a bold new direction for the LEGO System in Play.
At the centre of the platform is the SMART Brick, an element with the same footprint as a traditional 2×4 LEGO brick, but packed with technology. Inside the brick is a custom-made chip smaller than a LEGO stud, alongside motion sensors, light and sound sensors, a miniature speaker, a synthesiser and wireless charging. The SMART Brick can interact with SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures, triggering sounds, responses and reactions during play.
Graham E. Hancock, author of LEGO Star Wars: The Force of Creativity, and Daniel Konstanski, author of The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks, discuss whether this new innovation will change LEGO play forever.
They feel that the SMART Brick isn’t about replacing imagination with technology — it’s about lowering the barrier to play.
“The LEGO Group has been building and evolving this idea of the System and this really feels, more than any other of their recent experiments, like kind of the next natural evolution of layering this technology within the bricks themselves, so that it’s the next evolution of that LEGO System in Play,” says Daniel.
The aim, according to the two experts, is to keep play tactile and hands-on while offering the feedback and excitement kids increasingly expect from digital entertainment.
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Why LEGO SMART Play is different
The LEGO Group has experimented with digital integration before, from Galidor and NEXO KNIGHTS to Hidden Side and VIDIYO. Many of those systems relied heavily on screens and apps — something that often proved unpopular with parents and short-lived in practice. LEGO SMART Play takes a different approach by embedding all the technology directly into the bricks themselves.
“It was through research and learnings, with talking to parents and things, that they realised the screen was best left out of the experience, and that is the reason that, in this case, it’s purely a physical play experience,” says Graham.
Launching with LEGO Star Wars
The first LEGO SMART Play sets will launch under the LEGO Star Wars theme, featuring interactive vehicles and minifigures that react to each other in real time. From X-wings and TIE Fighters responding during battle play to character-specific sound effects, Star Wars provides an instantly recognisable framework for showcasing what the SMART Brick can do.
The first sets in the new range are:
- 75421 Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter
- 75423 Luke’s Red Five X-wing
- 75427 Throne Room Duel & A-wing
Daniel notes that Star Wars is an obvious choice – familiar sounds, clear conflict-driven play and broad appeal across age groups. It also raises questions about where SMART Play could go next — and whether cross-theme interaction could eventually become part of LEGO’s long-term strategy.
Can the SMART Brick keep kids playing longer?
A key theme of the conversation is whether LEGO SMART Play can help address a growing challenge for the LEGO Group – children aging out of physical toys earlier and moving to video games. The SMART Brick is positioned as a potential bridge — offering lights, sound and responsiveness without sacrificing physical creativity or adding screen time.
The LEGO Group bets on the future
Unlike app-based experiences, SMART Play requires changes to the LEGO Group’s physical manufacturing process. With more than 20 patented innovations reportedly involved, the SMART Brick represents a significant long-term investment in research and development — but also huge additions to the factories around the world that now need to produce more complex elements than ever before.
Whether LEGO SMART Play becomes a foundational platform or a fascinating experiment, the SMART Brick already stands as one of the most interesting LEGO elements introduced in decades. As explored in the conversation, its success may help define how LEGO balances technology, creativity and hands-on play in the years ahead.
Check back here at the Blocks website to find out more specifics about the functionality of LEGO Smart Play and be sure to read upcoming issues of the premium LEGO magazine, which will cover the ins and outs of SMART Play in more depth than anywhere else.
In the meantime, you can see answers to five of the biggest questions here, as well as an in-depth look at the upcoming sets here. You can read reactions to the new sets too – whether they are too expensive and what potential SMART Play offers for the future. Blocks has also visited the 5 News studio to talk about this new development.
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